Wade’s 41 lead Heat over Hawks in Game 6

Maybe Josh Smith’s missed dunk gave Miami extra motivation after all. Whatever the reason, Dwayne Wade and the Heat looked like a different team Friday night in Game 6.

Miami blasted Atlanta 98-72 behind 41 points from Wade, who showed no ill-effects of the back injury his has struggled with throughout the series.

Atlanta looked awful to say the least. The Hawks picked up four technical fouls and shot only 37 percent from the field.

This series has been painful to watch at times. With the exception of Game 4, every game has been a blowout. Both teams are really banged up – Jermaine O’Neal and Al Horford missed Game 6, Jamario Moon won’t be back this postseason, and Marvin Williams has a bad wrist. Williams returned to action Friday, but played only four minutes.

I expect Game 7 to be competitive, but I’m not going to pick a winner.